A Brighter Dream
by Pozsich
Summary: Ruby x Blake snippets
1. Year One, Spring

**_Year one of Beacon_**

Ruby watched Blake with concern. Ruby had always been slow to fall asleep, but this was the first time something had happened after the others fell asleep that concerned her. The source of the disturbance was Blake, who seemed to be having a nightmare.

Tossing and turning about restlessly, Blake was the picture of discomfort; she was lightly layered in sweat, and she was letting out slight mewls of distress. Ruby felt her heart twist seeing her teammate like this.

It had been two weeks since they had found out Blake was a faunus, and in that time Ruby thought things had become better. Blake was more open, and she was more friendly with Weiss than in the past. The wounds were healing, or so it seemed to Ruby.

Now this. Ruby wondered what Blake could be dreaming about. She hoped the black themed girl wasn't having bad dreams about Weiss, or about their team in general. Ruby didn't want to relive the strife they had faced finding when they first found out Blake was a faunus, and was formerly a criminal.

Blake let out a frightened sound, and Ruby found she couldn't stand it anymore. Slipping out of bed, she landed lightly on her feet, not making any noise to disturb Weiss or Yang. Walking over to Blake, Ruby sat down on her knees by Blake.

Ruby hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should continue with her plan. Shaking off the feelings of hesitation, she gently shook Blake's slender shoulder.

… No response. Blake's face was tightened up as if in fear, and she was still rolling around a lot.

Feeling more confident about her course of action now, Ruby shook her again… Just not as gently.

This time Blake shot upright, regaining consciousness immediately and looking around the room wildly. Finding Ruby's eyes, she started into the silver orbs with her own amber eyes.

Ruby scrambled backwards a bit, startled by Blake's sudden reaction and by the fire in her gaze.

Coughing softly, Ruby began in a whisper, "So, Blake, what's-"

Blake slapped a hand over Ruby's mouth, grabbed her arm with her other, and dragged her to the door. Keeping her hand clasped around Ruby's mouth, she opened the door and tossed her out the door before following, shutting the door behind them.

Squatting down, she hissed, "Ruby, what are you doing? Waking up other people in their sleep? In their dreams?"

Ruby was completely taken aback. "Blake, I don't understand, I just thought-"

"No. You didn't think, did you?" Blake sat back with a sigh, propping an elbow on her knee and resting her face on her palm. "You never thing, Ruby. That's your problem."

"But… But you were having a nightmare! I was trying to be nice, to help-"

"Ruby, how could waking me up possibly help me?" Her tone was amused now, as if she were _enjoying_ berating Ruby enough to make up for being awoken.

_The nerve of…_ Ruby felt annoyed now. "I see I was clearly wasting my time, bothering to worry about you." She used a pouting tone, glad to see it have effect when Blake's slight smirk faltering before it had even fully formed.

"Look, Ruby, I appreciate the concern and all, but quite frankly, my _dreams_ aren't any of your business. You have no good reason, and certainly _no_ right whatsoever, to poke around my brain."

"What if I'm just curious?"

"Curious about what? You know I was a criminal, you know I'm a faunus, and you know I've done a lot of things I regret." Blake sounded sad now, her eyes hardening into chips of amber that seemed to gleam in the dim lighting of the hallway. "Do you really need to open up old wounds? Much less, someone else's old wounds that you aren't even involved in? My nightmares are part of my healing. I can't atone for what I've done, so instead my mind tortures me for it."

"But that seems so cruel and pointless! I mean, worrying yourself to death over the past won't change it… right?"

Blake's eyes had narrowed dangerously as Ruby spoke. "You don't understand, Ruby." She stood and faced the door, clearly intent on going to her bed and returning to sleep.

"THEN HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND!"

Ruby blurted this our a bit more loudly than she meant to, causing Blake to once again spin around and clap a mouth over Ruby's mouth. After a tense moment, Blake's ears twitched and swiveled towards the door.

She sighed, and, grabbing Ruby by the arm, dashed down the hall. Ruby didn't particularly feel like running, but neither did she want to fight her friend, so she consented to be dragged along.

They ran to the end of the hall, then up a flight of stairs. Eventually they busted out onto the roof, the chilly night air biting them in their pajamas.

"Sooo… There's a reason we ran up here, I assume?"

"Yes, because your yelling woke someone up. I could hear one of them getting out of bed, probably Weiss since she wasn't jumping out."

"That's not really a reason to run away. Or to go to the roof."

Blake glared at her again. Ruby sighed as she realized Blake had been glaring for most of time since Ruby had woken her up.

"I don't particularly care to have _you_ trying to get in my head, much less Yang or Weiss. I get it, you won't leave me alone until you're satisfied but… Let's keep this to a minimum, okay Ruby?"

Blake walked to the low parapet and sat on it, carefully straightening her black yukata, which had become messed up despite how carefully she had run, before addressing Ruby again.

"So, you want to know more about me?"

* * *

**I feel dirty for using that quote. Did everyone groan when they read it?**

**Okay, for those of you who have read my other work, this is literally the exact opposite of it, as the title suggests. "A Darker Nightmare" -**** "A Brighter Dream." **

**Get it? Get it? I know, it's a terrible reference and joke.**

**This series isn't going to be aimed for on a daily basis like "A Darker Nightmare" is, it's mostly going to be whenever I feel like it… Which I'm guessing will end around one chapter every three days. Or it could be significantly more. Variables are fun guys!**

**Speaking of variables, this isn't going to be linear. It's going to be Ruby x Blake snippets, and it's basically going to be at whatever point I feel like.**

**So what's my reason for doing this so weirdly? Because I think it will be fun, and I'm hoping it will turn out cool. Also, Blake x Ruby is a pairing I've wanted to see but haven't actually seen… at all… Though I'm sure there's some out there, and I probably just haven't looked hard enough.**

**The chapter lengths will also vary, so they aren't all going to be this short, I promise! This is just something I'm putting out as a "Hey, this is going to be a thing," notice. And I needed somewhere to put this ridiculously long author's note to explain the premise… **

**Chapter two will also be out today, and will be longer. (This one is only about 900 words w/o author's note, in case you were wondering.)**


	2. Year Three, Winter

_**Year Three of Beacon**_

"So, guys!" Ruby looked up, seeing Yang was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I think we ought to do something fun! It's _snowing_, and who knows how often it snows at Beacon? It didn't our first two years, and it might not next year!"

"Actually, we've just been unlucky Yang, Beacon does receive snowfall most years from-"

Weiss was cut off by Yang jumping out of her bed and shushing her, one hand on her hip and one hand making a comic shushing sign, one finger over her lips.

"That's not the point, Weiss. The point is that we go do something together! We didn't get snow last year _or_ the year before, so it's our first snowfall together!" Yang looked reminiscent as she added, "Ruby, we haven't played together in the snow in years."

As usual, Yang's infectious good spirit bled over into Ruby, making her smile. "Sure, let's go have some fun, we've already studied anyways. Weiss? Blake? You guys are coming." It wasn't an order, but it also wasn't a question. Ruby had well picked up the way of commanding teammates without demanding anything of them by this point, a valuable trait in Hunter Squad Leaders.

Weiss rolled her eyes and said, "Very well, but not too long, I don't want to fall behind on my studies this close to winter exams."

"Your grades are perfect." Yang scoffed at Weiss for a moment before turning to Blake, "Come on Blake, let's go!"

Blake let out a small sigh as she shut her book. "Very well," was all the soft spoken girl said, though she was willing to return Ruby's beam of happiness with one of good-humored acceptance.

As they all headed out of the dorm room together, Yang headed across the hall and pounded on the door, yelling, "Hey Nora! Let's go outside, come on!"

An excited voice chirping away behind the door gave Team RWBY all the confirmation they needed; Team JNPR would come, whether they wanted to or Nora forced them to.

After exiting the dorms, they walked a good distance out onto the grounds, Team JNPR quickly catching up from jogging after them. Yang was leading, but Ruby didn't know where her sister was planning on taking them.

Eventually, after some twenty minutes of walking, Yang stopped and twirled around, her arms spread out. "Look guys! It's as fantastic looking in the snow as I thought it would be!"

Looking around Yang, Ruby saw they were at the large grove of trees settled in some small rolling hills known among the students simple as "The Grove." It was very well known among Beacon students as a wonderfully peaceful place; the trees and hills seemed to block out sound, and it was the only place immediately around Beacon that was neither plains nor the Emerald Forest. As such, it was a popular retreat for stressed students and couples. The trees were large evergreens, and in the snow they _were_ beautiful, Ruby had to admit.

The group of eight friends wandered into the grove, appreciating the sight of snow on the grounds they had come to know well over the last two years. Ruby suspected Jaune and Pyrrha had been here on their own in the past, but wasn't sure. Still, she grinned at the thought of how Jaune would blush if she confronted him about it and she was right.

Still, things were more peaceful than Ruby wanted them to be. They had come out to have _fun_ after all, not just stand around appreciating nature. With that thought in mind she decided to take matters into her own hands to stir things up a bit.

Ruby burst out laughing at the sight of Blake covered in snow. Ruby _had_ pushed her friend, but how the faunus had managed to trip while trying to catch herself and ended up rolling down the hill she had been standing at the top of, gathering snow as she went, was beyond Ruby. The normally incredibly agile girl had been clumsier than Yang at her worst for a moment.

Standing up now, Blake was blushing badly from her shameful fall. "That's _not_ funny, Ruby!" Her eyes gleamed with amusement as much as she tried to hide it though; Ruby doubted any of the others could tell she wasn't dead serious.

Grinning, Ruby shot back, "Everyone else seems to think it's hilarious!"

Indeed, both Weiss and Yang were laughing at the sight their teammate had made on her way down the hill, and Team JNPR were also laughing along.

Ruby sighed in contentment, looking up at the snowflakes gently swirling down all around them, slowly gliding around the evergreens, some ending up on them while others drifted lazily to the ground to join their countless brothers. _Winter should always be this pleasant._

As soon as she finished thinking this, though, Ruby felt a snowball hit her in the chin. Stumbling backwards, Ruby landed on her butt, letting out an surprised squeak as she went down. Looking up, she couldn't believe what she saw. _Blake_ was the one now leaned over laughing, hands on her stomach and knees bent she was laughing so hard.

Hopping up, Ruby, grinning, declared "You won't get away with that!"

The inevitable snowball fight ended up being relatively one sided in numbers, only Weiss and Yang willing to back up Blake, while Ruby received the aid of Team JNPR to ensure the war was not an even affair.

"You're a traitor sis! No captain of mine would attack her own soldiers!" Yang was trying mental attacks, to throw Ruby off.

Determined not to lose, she yelled back, "You're the insubordinate soldier, don't blame your commanding officer for your stepping out of line!"

It was not an easy fight for either side, however. No one said it, but no one was using aura, so Blake, Yang, and Weiss, quickly retreated behind a hill and began using its cover to their advantage. After a couple minutes Team JNPR were forced to concede that, despite the number advantage Ruby gave them, they should also find cover, as they were actually losing quite badly, Jaune in particular taking one snowball directly to the forehead, blinding him as the powder flew into his eyes.

After about twenty minutes they were getting beginning to get tired, none of them being cheap enough to use aura to stop themselves from tiring. Besides, even if sportsmanship weren't a concern, no one was willing to risk making Yang mad; she would melt all the snow if she got mad with her aura up.

Slowing down, eventually both sides were hiding behind their own hills. After a few tense moments of watching the other hill, Ruby saw Yang coming out with her hands up, a stick with a white cloth attached waving in one hand.

After a hasty whispered conference, Team JNPR plus Ruby elected to send out Jaune to meet her. Despite his protests that Ruby should go as the only member of Team RWBY in their group, it was ultimately agreed that the harmlessness Jaune presented was more important.

Upon reaching the midpoint between the two groups fortifications, Yang had stopped. When Jaune got there, she grinned, extended her hand for a handshake, and loudly declared "We offer unconditional surrender!"

Jaune blinked, looking confused, then took her hand and shook uncertainly. As he did, both Weiss and Blake walked out from behind their fortifications. Seeing the fight was over, Ruby skipped into the clearing with a whoop. "We won! We won! In your face Yang!" She had a huge grin on her face, feeling pleased with her group's victory.

Weiss sighed, "Perhaps if our own team weren't busy starting wars with each other we would work as well as team JNPR."

Yang simply laughed, "Don't be so stiff Weiss, it was all in good fun! Come on, let's head back inside, my hands are freezing."

The group all agreed, flaring up their auras a bit to keep themselves warm as they walked back into the dorms.

On their walk back, Ruby slowly fell to the back of the group, next to Blake. Nudging her, Ruby grinned shyly.

Blake smirked and whispered "You really aren't very forward in these sorts of things, considering you didn't mind pushing me into a bank of snow to declare war on me."

Ruby laughed softly and whispered back, "That was just a game. _This_ matters to me a lot more than some game."

Blake rolled her eyes, and allowed Ruby to slowly take her hand.

Ruby beamed with happiness the rest of the way back, her left hand intertwined with Blake's right hand, although nobody else noticed, or at least pretended not to.

Days off in winter were fun.

* * *

**Note: Still really short, but about one and a half times longer than the first without the note, and I enjoyed writing this quick story. I hope it was enjoyable to read!**


	3. Year Two, Autumn

_**Year Two of Beacon**_

Ruby exhaled in a _whoosh_, enjoying the sight of fog billowing from her mouth into the cold air. It was a quiet day, as most students were in class. Professor Port had left on urgent business at short notice, so his classes were all cancelled for a few days, giving Team RWBY an unexpected free day since his was the only class they had on this Wednesday.

Weiss had said she was going to the library to study, adamantly insisting that they should all do the same, but she would study with or without them. Ruby marveled over her partner's dedication; the icy girl had made top marks in their first year, but still refused to slack off, even going out of her way to work on free days such as this one.

Yang had gone to the training building. She wasn't sure what she was going to do there, she said, but she wanted to get a good workout in today. Ruby giggled at the thought of her sister beating up the dummies. Yang always moved in very exaggerated ways against dummies, trying to make them explode from the force of her punches alone. When she succeeded the dummies would literally create a puffball of straw as the material would fly through the air for a ways before drifting to the ground.

The training room proctors, who were in charge of keeping everything orderly and clean in the buildings as well as helping train students, were always irate when she did this; students weren't supposed to actually _destroy_ the dummies. Yang didn't really mind though, she never seemed to care when she was told to clean it up. She would hum a cheerful tune and just repair them all, one at a time.

Blake had stayed in their dorm room, saying she was going to use the free day to catch up on her reading. Ruby had wanted to stay in the room as well, but Blake had glared at her until she left. It was completely unfair, in Ruby's opinion. Okay, it _might_ be her own fault, since she had been the one stopping Blake from reading, but that was no reason to drive her out of the dorm room!

Ruby huffed indignantly, a great billow of fog puffing into the air. She had decided to just wander around campus, but was starting to reconsider. She was wearing her normal red and black dress with her cloak, but the cloak was being troublesome and not staying fastened to her front. It was probably broken, and Ruby made a mental note to check it and fix it later. For now though, the knowledge did little to keep her warmer.

Shivering a bit, Ruby retreated into a nearby building. It was an medium sized auxiliary building, mostly used for storage, but it also had a tower built onto one corner of it. Climbing the tower steps, Ruby enjoyed the slight warmth of the building pressing against her chilled skin. The building wasn't actually heated, but it still cut away the wind and kept out some of the cold.

Reaching the top of the tower, Ruby looked out one of the windows. Despite the fact that they were well into Autumn, the Emerald Forest was, true to its name, still solid green. Ruby wondered if, from up here looking down, the treetops would look indistinguishable from the ground when snow weighed them down in a thick blanket. She hoped it would snow this year so she would know; Weiss said it did most years, but it hadn't last year, much to Ruby's disappointment.

She stood and looked out the window for a few minutes, elbows propped up on the windowsill. Unfortunately, Ruby was never the type to sit around, and she quickly grew bored. She turned and walked down the steps, and exited the building.

Back in the breeze now, holding her cloak around her as best she could, Ruby made her way to the training rooms. She wasn't as obsessed with being strong as Yang was, but she needed something to do, and sparring with her older sister might save Yang the time she would normally spend repairing dummies.

While passing by the dormitories, Ruby paused. Grinning, she decided to swing by their room. Blake had driven her out, but she couldn't protest if Ruby needed to get something, which was partially true; Ruby had Crescent Rose with her, but she hadn't taken any ammo. She still doubted she would need any, since they rarely sparred with weapons due to the inherent dangers, but it was a plausible excuse to drop into the dorm room.

Ruby knocked once to announce she was coming in before opening the door. She stepped in and quickly turned around to shut the door close before turning to look at Blake.

Her heart skipped a beat. Blake had fallen asleep, her head on her pillow and a book resting, still held open by her hand, on her chest. She was snoring softly, her breaths barely audible in the silence.

She looked magnificent to Ruby, sprawled out on her bed, her black hair fanned out around her head, matting her pillow with a single layer of silky black hair.

Ruby walked over to her bunk bed and sat on the edge of Weiss's bed, using it as a seat. Propping her elbows on her knees, she cupped her face with her hands and stared at Blake, watching the black themed girl as she slept, her chest peacefully rising and falling.

After a few minutes, Ruby realized with a start that she was literally watching someone sleep, and immediately felt _very_ creepy. She immediately hopped to her feet and bustled about the act of getting her ammo out from where it was hidden, tucked between the bed covers and her mattress.

She heard Blake stir behind her. Hopping off her bed, ammo in hand, Ruby twirled around to look, just as Blake sat up, her hair falling into place as her book fell off her chest. Blake looked at Ruby, her eyes still blurry from her nap.

"Ruby? What are you doing back here?"

"Oh, hey Blake! I just swung by to grab some ammo before I go to the training rooms!" Ruby tried to put on her best innocent grin.

Blake looked at her quizzically, seeming to be fully awake now. "Isn't it cold outside? And since when do you go to the training rooms when Yang is there? She always just challenges you, and I thought you said you didn't like that."

Ruby scuffed the floor with on boot, looking down to avoid staring at Blake. "Well I felt up to it today, and it's not like I always dislike sparring, it's just that she _always_ likes to spar and it gets pretty tiring is all."

"You could always just stay here you know." Ruby looked up, her mouth in an O of wonder, and Blake hastily added, "As long as you let me read in relative peace, that is."

Ruby considered for a moment. Grinning with a hint of deviousness, she asked, "Hey, can I read next to you then? I promise not to bother you."

Blake looked at her warily for a moment. She eventually nodded, and said, "Fine." She got out of bed, making the covers neatly and moving the pillow to the foot of the bed before sitting back down, curling her legs up beneath her and leaning slightly on the wall at the head of the bed.

Ruby put Crescent Rose on her bed and hid the ammo again before grabbing a book at random from the pile currently on the dresser in front of the window. At least Blake didn't make it difficult to find books; she had a ton of books she just left laying around, and she wasn't particularly fussy about most of them.

Ruby sat down on the edge of Blake's bed, taking a moment to remove her boots, then scooting back on the bed until she was next to Blake, who was reading without looking at her.

Opening her book, Ruby cast a few sidelong glances at Blake, trying to catch her teammate's amber eyes.

Eventually, Blake sighed. "Yes, Ruby? Is there a reason you are compulsively looking my way?"

Ruby sucked her breath in; she had been losing hope of ever getting a response, but wasn't confident enough to just make a move. Grinning shyly, she said, "Well, I was kind of hoping to… snuggle while we read."

Blake replied without taking her eyes from her book, "You can lean on me if you will _just read_ after that."

Ruby immediately leaned in and rested her head on Blake's slender left shoulder, her cheek coming to rest directly on Blake's joint. The faunus stiffened slightly when the contact was first made, but quickly relaxed and never gave any other indication that she even noticed Ruby.

Sighing a bit through her nose, Ruby pondered if she should try to go further. She had come a long ways with Blake since their first year, which had been strenuous at best, but progress had still been incredibly slow. Still, this was the first time Blake had ever allowed Ruby to lean on her like this.

Smiling in contentment, Ruby flipped open the book and pretended to begin reading it, even though in truth she was simply enjoying her close proximity to Blake.

They sat like this for a couple of hours, Blake reading and Ruby resting her head on her shoulder.


	4. Year Three, Summer

_**Year Three of Beacon**_

Blake stretched languorously out in the grass, purring as the hot summer sun beat down on her. Lying in the middle of a field, a lazy zephyr sweeping across the grass, gently flowing over her, she was experiencing absolute comfort for the first time in a while.

The silence was nearly complete, the only sounds she could hear with her heightened hearing being distant sounds of laughter from some students playing around in a different part of the grounds.

It was utterly serene, and Blake loved it. It was rare that she let herself let go of all her worries, and it was simply wonderful when she did.

Unfortunately, the surreal scene only lasted for a few minutes longer. Fortunately, the source of disturbance was the only one Blake would gladly tolerate at a time like this.

Her boots lightly disturbing the grass as she walked, Ruby Rose walked up and sat down next to Blake.

Opening her eyes, Blake turned to look at Ruby, smiling a bit at her.

"Wonderful day, isn't it?"

The younger girl grinned back at her, replying, "It sure is!"

Blake settled back, enjoying the continued warmth and quiet, only made better now that Ruby was nearby.

Of course, Ruby also always brought her own quirks to the table. "Hey, you know what would make this even better?"

Blake knew what was coming next, but asked anyways. "What would make it even better?" She asked so in a playful whisper, a smile tugging on her lips in spite of herself.

"If we cuddled up!" Ruby sounded like she could barely contain her excitement, the very idea of suggesting cuddling with Blake scandalous to her. Perhaps that was partially Blake's fault, since she wasn't particularly forward herself, but it still made her chuckle to herself how excited the young girl got over the idea of any physical contact.

Blake didn't reply, simply turning onto her side to look at Ruby with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

Shortly, they had arranged themselves comfortably. Ruby lay her head on Blake's arm, and wrapped one of arms around Blake's torso. Their free hands met between them, playfully twisting their fingers to and fro, not holding each others' hand but making a game of it. Their knees gently bumped each other, but they kept a safe distance in the lower region. In the end, their version of cuddling wasn't even extremely intimate, but neither girl minded.

Several minutes passed before Ruby began to fall asleep, a smile on her face. Content to let her sleep, Blake just watched as she gradually slowed down in their game, and her eyes eventually drifted shut.

As Ruby fell well and truly into sleep, Blake heard someone else approaching. This person was significantly less stealthy than Ruby had been walking up, and they sounded much more tense than Ruby had.

Gently sliding her arm out from under Ruby's head, careful not to drop her head onto the grass, Blake sat up to look. Sure enough, Yang was approaching them.

Seeing Blake sitting up, Yang hesitated for a moment. Blake mouthed, _She's asleep,_ and Yang nodded, looking relieved. She beckoned for Blake to follow her.

Blake got up and silently went to follow Yang. They retreated a fair distance, nearly by the buildings when Yang turned back around and waited for Blake to reach her. Blake could still see Ruby clearly, but didn't doubt that they were well out of the range Ruby would have been able to hear them talking in.

"So." Yang looked hesitant again, very much unlike her usual self.

"So." Blake simply returned the word, waiting to hear what her partner would say.

"There's a lot we should talk about, considering how long it's been since Ruby started… trying to get closer to you. Frankly, I would've liked to talk to you sooner, but…"

"…But, you never saw us doing anything intimate."

"Right. And now, for the first time, I see you guys doing something that's not normal for teammates and friends, and it isn't even as far as kissing."

Blake laughed softly. "We're not exactly spicy, are we?"

Yang smiled at this, for the first time her smile really reaching her eyes since they had started talking. "Nope, but it's amazing to me. It's been over two years since Ruby first started digging you, and at the time I thought for sure it was puppy love that would melt as soon as she realized you weren't interested."

Blake felt a bit troubled by this statement, her smile fading. "I wasn't interested for a long time."

"But eventually those darn puppy eyes broke your shell, eh?"

Blake smiled again, "I suppose so."

They stood in silence for a minute, Blake turning back towards the field, and both of them gazing quietly into the distance.

Yang broke the silence first. "I'm sure you know all about the talk I'm supposed to give you… 'Don't hurt my sister' and all that jazz."

Blake nodded without looking at Yang, who took it as a prompt to continue. "The thing is, something makes me doubt I need to. If you had started returning her affection a couple years ago, sure, but now?"

Blake turned to look at Yang, and was surprised to see the boisterous girl was staring at her, her lilac eyes focused. A bit nervous, Blake stepped back, causing Yang to break her stare and laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not about to jump you. I just wonder to myself all the time what happened.

You've always been quiet and laid back, but in our first year, it always felt like you had a guard up against us, even after we found out you were a faunus. A while after Ruby started to get obvious that she liked you, you slowly just… dropped your shell. I always wondered how she managed to do it."

Silence fell over them again as Blake considered this. Truly, Ruby had changed her quite a lot over the years. For the better or worse, Blake didn't know. Perhaps it was one of those problems where she was too close to tell; maybe she would never know if the change was good or bad. Not to mention that defining personality changes in 'good' or 'bad' is an unclear road to start down in the first place.

Still, what she _did_ know for sure was that she was happy now. Happier than she had been for most of her life.

So she turned to Yang, and looked into her partners eyes. Her partner, and the sister of the most important person in the world to her.

"Don't worry about having that talk, it would be a waste of both of our time. There's not a chance in the world of me hurting Ruby, and you know it."

Yang nodded, her voice soft as she said, "I know. But you're my partner, and she's my baby sister. Sometimes, you just have to be sure. I'm glad now, because I know beyond a shred of a doubt that it's true. I trust you, Blake."

Yang shook herself a bit, then put her face back into its most accustomed expression; a confident grin. "That said, I don't want to hear about any dirty stuff, alright? Keep it tame, kitty, or else!" Yang winked at her before turning and striding away, Blake blushing but not replying.

Sighing at being caught off guard by her partner's blusterous joke, Blake walked back to where Ruby still lay slowly. Upon reaching her, she lay down next to her.

Looking at Ruby, fast asleep, her breaths deep and easy, Blake mused to herself that they should probably start calling each other their "girlfriend" at some point.

Smiling at the thought, Blake enjoyed the sun's warmth shining down on them. Gently taking hold of one of Ruby's hands, Blake let herself drift off to sleep in comfort.

* * *

**Hmm. Pretty short, not much happened, but it was a pretty important scene in the big picture. Plus, I enjoyed the challenge of trying to make it sound as peaceful and happy as possible, since this is supposed to be the point where Blake's getting used to the idea of loving Ruby, and is thus a very happy time. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! The next chapter should be longer! Probably less perfectly happy as well! (hehe)**


	5. Year Two, Spring

_**Year Two of Beacon**_

"Ruby, you should really try harder at your schoolwork." Weiss was talking about school work and work ethic… again. Ruby supposed it made sense because they had just gotten their final evaluation results from their first year, but her lecturing was still a drag.

"Weiss, we've talked about this, like, a million times already. I'm rank fourteen, I'm not low in the rankings. In fact, I'm already really good! You don't _need_ to pester me so much!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes and shot her a glare. "We're judged as partners, and your rank is lower than I'd like. So you should work harder, is all I'm saying. I've already offered to help more, but you don't want my help. So my only option is to pester you more." Weiss finished this with an evil grin on her face, clearly determined to make Ruby cave. As if dealing a finishing blow, she pompously added "Oh, and don't pretend you would be rank fourteen if it weren't for me."

Ruby sighed. Being partners with the first ranked student in their year was great for her evaluations, but the icy girl seemed to be permanently stuck on 'nag' mode when it came to grades. The fact that Ruby was only two places below Blake, and over two dozen places above Yang, didn't matter to Weiss in the least.

They made their way out of the main building for classes into the soft afternoon sunshine peeking out from between the clouds. It was chilly outside, the weather pretending it was still winter despite being well into spring.

Wrapping her cloak around her, Ruby sped up a bit; Weiss keeping up without missing a beat. "So, are you ready to start classes again after break?"

Ruby looked disbelievingly at Weiss. "Do you seriously consider the week long break an actual break?"

Weiss laughed a bit, "Well it is technically long enough to visit home for most students."

Ruby rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door to the dormitory building. "_Technically_ isn't really a good reason to call it a real break. Besides, none of Team RWBY left, so it was even less of a break for us."

Weiss shrugged. "I don't particularly care about seeing my family, and Blake hasn't anyone to return to. You and Yang could have easily gone home for a few days. It isn't Beacon's fault you chose not to."

"What, pay for airship tickets during the hot season for visiting Vale? All of the prices are ridiculous this time of year." Ruby practically scoffed at Weiss's suggestion.

"Well, it can't be helped. Vale is renowned for having beautiful springs."

"Yeah, I'm sure all those tourists are loving this fine spring."

Weiss laughed at Ruby's remark, opening the door to their room as she did so. Entering, Ruby saw Blake and Yang were already back in the room. Blake was reading while Yang was rolling around on her bed, looking bored.

"Hey Ruby! Hey Weiss! How was you guys' day?!" Yang looked desperate to hear something interesting, propping herself up on the edge of her bed with her elbows.

Weiss glanced at Yang before proceeding to her own bed, shaking her boots off before sitting down. "It was a fine day, Yang. We went under our pair evaluations, and it went very smoothly. Our academic and combat scores were both very good."

"Hey, that's fantastic! Proud of you, Ruby!" Yang shot her younger sister a beaming grin and Ruby smiled back, glad that all the work Weiss made her do had paid off.

"Maybe we would have been able to compete if someone had tried a little harder in their studies." Blake shot off this remark with a small smirk, and Yang replied with a mock gasp.

"Blake Belladonna are you claiming we _didn't _do well?"

"Not as well as Weiss and Ruby, but yes… We did fine as well. Our combat scores were top mark, and academics were… respectable." Blake returned her gaze to her book.

Weiss seemed pleased. "That's good! I'm glad to hear you two are doing well in your assessments."

Ruby gaped at Weiss. She wasn't going to berate Yang? The height of unfairness had surely been reached! She heard Blake chuckle and mutter something under her breath.

Walking over, Ruby plopped down onto Blake's bed, leaning back on her palms. "What was that?"

Blake grinned at her. "Just agreeing that it wasn't fair."

They both giggled while Weiss looked at them quizzically, clearly confused. Yang didn't seem to get it either as she leaned over the side of her bunk to look at them, her long blonde hair streaming down from her head.

"Well, at least you two are finally getting along again. I'm a bit bored, so I think I'm going to go train for a bit." Yang hopped off her bed, landing lightly on her feet.

"You could also read _any_ of the books I gave you to make sure you're ready for the classes this year." Blake pointedly stared at Yang as she said this, putting down her book to do so.

Yang simply waved her off, however. "Don't worry so much Blake, my rank wasn't that bad first year. Plus, we don't _learn_ anything for the first few days of classes anyway." Yang made her way to the door as she talked, and threw over her shoulder as she exited, "My rank will be fine without reading those books, don't worry about it." The door snapped closed.

Weiss shook her head. "Simply unbelievable. Blake, I don't know how you can stand having a partner who doesn't even pretend to care."

Blake, who was once again engrossed in her book, simply shrugged and said, "She's not all bad."

Weiss gave a small disbelieving snort before also standing. "Come on Ruby, let's go to the library. I'd also like to make sure you're ready for the start of classes."

Ruby held her hands up, palms spread out towards Weiss defensively. "Weiss, I am _completely_ prepared! One week out of classes didn't make me forget _that_ much!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We're also starting two new subjects this year, if you'd forgotten."

"Well I can always just read the books Blake got for Yang, it's not as if they're in use. You really don't need to worry about me staying here." Ruby sounded a bit desperate to herself, but she didn't mind. Weiss had been taking up all her time for the last week with studying and training, and Ruby really was desperate for a break.

That plus, it was her first chance to be alone with Blake since classes had ended a week ago. They had been getting along so much better recently, and Ruby was determined to continue making progress with the faunus girl who had captured her heart.

To Ruby's relief Weiss simply shook her head before heading to the door. To Ruby's disappointment, though, Weiss said, "I expect you to know the basic biological structures of Death-Stalkers by the time I'm back then." Ruby's heart plummeted when she heard _that_; she would have to actually read the books Blake had gotten Yang to pass Weiss's test.

Weiss closed the door softly behind her, and the sound of her boots clicking on the floor as she walked away were easily audible in the quiet building. Realizing she was alone with Blake and on the other girl's bed still, Ruby got up quickly. Unsure of what to say, she occupied herself with opening the curtains to let in what little sunshine could make it through the clouds. She then searched through various stacks of books, looking for the one she needed unsuccessfully. There were just _so many_ _books_ it was absurd. Blake had slowly made stacks of books the main decoration of their room, although Ruby had no idea where she got all of them.

Sighing in defeat, and more than a little frustration, Ruby turned to Blake, who was still reading without paying attention. "Blake, can you tell me where those books you got for Yang are?"

Blake peeled her gaze away from her book after a moment. After a moment's pause she got up and walked over to a stack directly beside the door.

Ruby watched her as she moved, her bow swaying slightly with each movement. Although she was comfortable with letting the rest of Team RWBY see her ears she still sometimes left it on for convenience, so she could go about Beacon without taking the time to tie the bow. Today she had put it on for when they had received their evaluations, and Ruby assumed Blake didn't want to go to the effort of taking it off.

"What book do you need? Ruby?"

Ruby realized with a start that Blake had turned to look at her intently, and was talking to her. "Sorry, what were you asking?"

Blake looked at her with more than a little exasperation in her eyes. "For the fourth time, what book do you need?"

"Um… Anything with info on Death-Stalkers should be fine, I guess. Or a book about the biology of Grimm."

Blake hummed a bit as she looked through the books for a brief moment. She pulled out two books and threw them at Ruby, who deftly caught them out of the air. For such a book-worm, she really didn't seem to care about the books' well being.

"Those are both of the things you asked for. One, "The Incarnation of Death Examined" by Anderson McDowell, is specifically about Death-Stalkers. Everything from anatomy to where they live to known behaviors is covered quite well. It also has some research on what types of dust are most effective to fight them with, though I wouldn't be overly trusting of that particular section. The other book is "A Study of Grimm" by Miel Phergeson, it covers general facts about most known Grimm. It is a bit outdated though, and some of the generalizations it makes have been proven wrong since then. I would recommend reading the first now for Weiss's little test, and the second later to be ready for class."

"Wait… If you already knew what Weiss was testing me over why did you ask what books I needed?"

Blake looked surprised. "Well, I didn't hear Weiss telling you anything, I wasn't paying attention. But I can safely assume that you're going to be tested over something, or else Weiss would have dragged you to the library with her. Asking for Death-Stalker material makes it equally safe to assume that she told you to know about Death-Stalkers." Blake smirked as she finished, seeming boastful now that she had revealed her logical process.

"I see… Very clever of you, Blake. Thanks for the books."

"No problem. What are friends for?" Blake gave Ruby a smile which almost melted Ruby's heart.

"Would you like to read together?" Ruby made this offer tentatively, not sure of how Blake would respond.

Blake shook her head. "No. Thanks, but I'm in the middle of a good scene in my book that I'd really like to get back to. Maybe later?"

Ruby felt disappointed but immediately jumped on the offer that Blake left dangling at the end of her words. "Of course! I'll read all I need to, and we can read something else together after!"

Blake retreated to her bed, once again picking up her book and beginning to read. Ruby jumped up to her own bed with both books in tow. She briefly considered trying to talk to Blake further but quickly dismissed the idea. She already knew she would get to read with Blake if she was done reading before the faunus was, so Ruby engrossed herself in reading about Death-Stalkers.

Death-Stalkers were, it turned out, fairly interesting to Ruby. The book started off talking about their places in human folk-lore, and the stories were practically fascinating to Ruby, who immensely enjoyed good stories. She was glad, then, that it was a very long section, nearly two hundred pages. The book then went on to talk about Death-Stalkers' natural habitats and later their behavioral patterns, going deeply in depth over all known social behavior.

Ruby heard the door swing open and sat up with a start. Looking at the window, she realized with dismay that it was already evening. She hadn't read with Blake _and_ she hadn't read about Death-Stalker anatomy.

Weiss and Yang both walked in, chatting with each other, both seeming to be in good moods. Weiss's seemed to dip as she walked up to Ruby's bed and looked her partner in the eye. "Well? Did you prepare?"

Ruby quickly thrust the book she had been reading at Weiss, still open to the page she had been on. "Look, I read all the way up to here! I didn't reach anatomy, but…" Ruby trailed off and lowered her gaze, prepared for Weiss to yell at her.

Weiss was about to tell her off but, to both girls' surprise, Blake cut in from across the room. "Weiss, she _was_ reading the entire time you were gone. Don't be too hard on her." With that said Blake returned her attention to Yang, who was glancing inquisitively back and forth between Blake and Ruby. They re-engaged in their own conversation as Weiss turned back to Ruby.

"Very well, since Blake vouches for you I suppose I will believe you weren't doing nothing. You weren't reading what I asked you to but… You appear to have enjoyed what you did read, so that's good I suppose."

Ruby realized she had a huge grin on her face, and Weiss was taking it for Ruby liking the reading material. While Ruby hadn't expected to enjoy reading about Death-Stalkers as much as she had, the real reason she was grinning was because Blake had just defended her for the first time. Ruby's heart was practically racing with excitement from the small sign of camaraderie.

After that the evening progressed normally, all four chatting about random things. Eventually they showered, changed, and climbed into their own beds. Ruby pretended to crack open the book about Death-Stalkers again as she lay in bed, but she was actually discreetly watching Blake as she busily straightened all the book stacks that had become imperfect throughout the day.

As they all settled in to sleep, Ruby shut the book closed as she felt her eyelids slowly falling, starting her slide into sleep. Her last thoughts were of happiness, and of Blake.


	6. Year One, Summer

_**Year One of Beacon**_

Blake paused outside the door. She could hear Ruby pacing around inside, her footsteps landing loudly on the floor. Blake only had to ponder for a moment before turning and continuing down the hall. She would have a much easier time reading in the library than their dorm room thanks to Ruby.

It had been two weeks since that night Ruby had woken her up. Two weeks since Blake had dragged her to the roof, tried to brush her off, and completely failed. Trying to satisfy Ruby's curiosity had, ultimately, backfired. Now the younger girl wouldn't leave Blake alone.

Warm air blasted Blake as she opened the door to the outside, the heat of summer desperately clawing its way into the dorms. Quickly closing the door behind her, Blake started off to the library.

"Blake!"

Only to find Weiss coming from the same direction Blake had been heading.

"Hello, Weiss." Blake greeted her teammate amiably. "Have you been studying?"

"Yes, yes I have. I don't suppose you've seen Ruby? She was _supposed_ to have met me in the library over half an hour ago now. I try to be lenient, and this is what I get."

Blake forced a grin onto her face even as she realized that meant Ruby had broken a promise with Weiss to try to talk with her.

_What a persistent person!_

"Actually, I believe she was in the dorm room. I could hear something jumping around inside the room when I went by."

Weiss's composure broke a bit as she lifted a hand to her mouth in horror at the mention of 'jumping around.' "Please, please don't tell me you could smell baked goods."

Blake genuinely chuckled at Weiss's fear, although it was understandable. Ruby on a sugar rush was simply annoying to be around, and there wasn't a chance of her working in that state.

"Well, thank you for the warning. I shall be taking care of _that_. See you later, Blake."

"Good luck!" Blake had to call after her teammate as the icy girl was already storming inside.

Blake turned back to look towards the library, but stopped herself before heading its way.

_Weiss is going to find Ruby and realize Ruby isn't on a sugar rush… Then drag her to the library? Most likely._

Blake sighed as she realized reading in the library was out. She forlornly gazed at the cover of the book in her hand, titled _101 Ways to Improve Your Stealth. _It was an interesting read, because it talked about ways to move around sneakily but was written by a person who was not a thief, nor an assassin, nor anything requiring stealth. It fascinated Blake reading all the tips and realizing regular people thought they would work.

Blake began walking out into the grounds in the direction of the forest. There were a number of trees in the fields between Beacon and the surrounding Emerald Forest, and she figured laying in the shade of one to read would be good enough.

After a few minutes she chose to settle under a giant oak tree. Even if _someone_ she wanted to avoid ended up coming this way, Blake was confident she would notice her before she noticed Blake. In that time Blake could hide in the plentiful leaves and branches of the massive tree.

Blake settled down, propping her back up against the trunk and opening the book in her lap. It was very hot from the sun, and the air was dry, but the shade of the tree and a slight breeze kept it from being uncomfortable.

After a few minutes of reading Blake found herself slowly growing sleepy. Lying here felt nice, and it was the first time in nearly a week she had felt at peace. Ruby was with Weiss in the library by now, so she didn't need to worry about that. Plus, unlike most people, Blake rather liked stretching out in the heat. It was a shame, really, that being near the oak tree to hide also meant staying out of the sun.

After a few minutes she could feel her eyelids growing heavier as her relaxation made her want to sleep.

_I should leave… Go to the dorm…_

Blake thought about her nightmares, and realized that for once the thought of them didn't make her feel anxious.

_What I wouldn't do to sleep well for once…_

Blake let herself drift into sleep.

* * *

"_They're coming! WHY WON'T THE DOOR SEAL?! THEY'RE COMING!"_

_Blake could hear frantic screaming from inside the room as they approached. She and Adam nodded to each other, and he charged into the door with his shoulder, blasting it open and sending three humans flying._

_Blake leapt in behind him and covered his back. A human immediately leapt at her, brandishing a pipe he had clearly just picked up off the ground as a makeshift weapon._

_In a single stroke of Gambol Shroud's sheathe Blake killed him. Mercilessly she cut through his chest, making him drop to the floor instantly as he clutched his wound._

_Two more jumped at Blake. With one quick slice she opened both of their abdomens, and they fell to the floor with screams of pain. She could hear Adam's blade swishing through the air behind her, screams of pain accompanying it moments later._

"_Let's go." Adam's voice was rough and remorseless as he strode to the door opposite of the one they had entered._

_Before Blake moved to follow him something grabbed her ankle. Startled, Blake had already half-drawn her blade by the time her eyes reached the source._

"_Please… please… you have to… tell my wife… her number is saved in my phone… tell her I didn't mean it… If she wants to send our son to Beacon… that's fine… I love her too much to disagree…" _

_The man's voice was tight with pain, and there were gurgling sounds coming from his mouth as blood flowed out of it. But his eyes were staring up at her, and in them shone a brilliant determination._

_A determination to tell his family what he thought was most important to be cleared up before he died._

_And Blake was the reason he had to die? She was already the reason he WAS dying?_

_More and more hands grabbed at Blake as the room around her melted away and was replaced by a black void. Countless hands grabbed at her as whispering voices accused her._

"_You killed us."_

"_You ended our dreams."_

"_You left our families broken."_

"_You erased our hopes."_

Blake awoke with a scream, her body drenched in sweat.

* * *

Ruby wandered around the edge of the forest, feelings of boredom permeating her mood. She had waited for Blake for as long as she could, but she had known Weiss would eventually come looking for her. Wishing to put off a scolding, however, Ruby had slipped out of the dorm and left to wander the grounds. She had nothing else to do, after all.

She sighed as she turned back to stare towards Beacon.

_This is such a waste of a day._

Just as she thought that, though, she spotted something that immediately lifted her spirits. Blake was lying under a tree! And, although it was hard to tell from this distance, she appeared to be sleeping.

Ruby approached cautiously at first, but she sped her slow walk into a jog once she was close enough to tell Blake really _was_ asleep.

Ruby sat down cross legged on the grass a couple of paces away from Blake's sleeping form, only to begin idly pulling up blades of grass as she wondered if she should wake Blake or not.

Looking more closely, Ruby realized Blake was having another bad dream. Her face was taut with distress and her skin looked clammy.

Ruby began chewing her lower lip nervously. She wanted to wake Blake up, but the last time she had tried that it had turned out… poorly.

Fortunately, the decision was made unnecessary as Blake jerked upright, completely awake. Unfortunately, Blake's accompanying shriek literally made Ruby fall over backwards in surprise.

"Blake! Blake! What's wrong?!" Ruby scrambled to her feet, disheveled by the startlingly loud noise.

Blake stared up at her with huge eyes. Her hands were trembling slightly and she looked as if she were ill.

After a moment Blake's amber eyes slowly closed and she leaned back against the tree.

"Blake?" Ruby tentatively called her teammate's name.

"Sorry Ruby."

"What for?" Ruby couldn't think of any reason Blake could have for apologizing, especially since it seemed like Blake was the one in distress.

"Sorry for startling you. Didn't mean to scare you." Blake's voice was a bit hoarse, and her eyes looked unfocused when they reopened.

"Hey, that's fine. Not like you meant to!" An awkward silence fell after Ruby's reassurances. She wasn't sure of what to say, and Blake was still staring off in the distance blankly.

"Are you okay?" Ruby knew she was treading on thin ice, but she ventured to ask anyways.

Blake picked her book up from where it had fallen on the ground and began carefully brushing the dirt off of it. "I'm fine."

"But Blake-"

"Ruby. You know how I feel about this. You know, I don't go poking into your past. Can't I ask you to return the favor?"

Ruby sucked in her breath at that. Blake was correct in saying she had never pried into Ruby's own past.

That meant this was Ruby's chance to tear down a wall?

"Blake, I'd be willing to tell you about my past. I don't even want to know about your past really, it doesn't matter."

Blake turned her head to look at Ruby in surprise. "You don't? Then why are you always asking me so many questions?"

"Well, we're teammates. And I'd also like to be better friends so… You know, I feel like there's always a wall between you and the rest of the team when you're hiding your emotions from us."

Blake's face appeared troubled as she looked away from Ruby again, avoiding Ruby's gaze.

"Hey, Ruby?" Blakes voice trembled a tiny bit.

"Yeah?" Ruby kept her voice as cheerful as she could.

"I don't think I realized you cared before now. Not as much as you do." Blake paused to take a deep breath, and her voice was steadier when she continued.

"I think I can try to open up a little. Let's just… Not rush. Please."

Ruby sat down next to Blake and wrapped an arm around her teammate's shoulders.

"You can take all the time you need. As your team leader I promise I'll listen! Let's get along, okay?"

Blake nodded once before quietly beginning to cry.


End file.
